BBH OPD receives over 2,300 patients with depression in a month

Rawalpindi: The outpatient department at Benazir Bhutto Hospital received over 2,300 patients with depression in a month which is more than any other disease reported at the OPD in the month of May this year.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Friday has revealed that a total of 2,147 patients with acute respiratory infections reported at the BBH OPD in May while the number of patients with urinary tract infections was at number three with as many as 1,563 patients in the month. The OPD disease trend also reveals that nearly 1,400 patients with tooth decay also known as dental caries or cavities were reported in a month at the BBH OPD that received over 1,100 patients with dermatitis, inflammation of the skin.

The most alarming fact that the data reveals is that in May, the BBH OPD received as many as eight patients with leishmaniasis, a rare skin disease that damages the immune system severely. Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection that has high mortality rate. It is caused by the bite of infected Phlebotomine sand fly. It is fatal if not managed properly and treated well in time.

The BBH OPD also received as many as 973 patients with fever due to unknown causes while well over 1000 patients reached hospital’s OPD with acid peptic disease in a month. As many as 1076 patients reached BBH OPD with acute gastroenteritis in the month of May though the incidence of gastro is continuously on the rise. The data about disease trend at the OPD helps both the hospital’s administration and consultants to make proper arrangement to accommodate patients, said Medical Superintendent at BBH Dr. Rafiq Ahmed while talking to ‘The News’ on Friday. He added that on average, well over 2,600 patients visit BBH OPD daily while over 1800 patients reach the hospital’s emergency department per day. Many health experts say that the number of patients with depression has been continuously on the rise and it is alarming because the least attention has ever been given to the problem in the country.